Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, famous for drawing polka dots, dies at age 97

is an female Japanese artist, immersive mirror installations, and giant spotted pumpkin sculptures. Kusama is known for her bright red wig and her messy, but very colorful style of painting.

some of the highest ever prices for a female artist! Avoid exclamation points in news for formality

Kusama then became one of the world’s most recognisable artists and a global icon in her 80s and 90s.

Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirror Rooms are immersive, mirror-lined installations optical illusion of boundless space using lights, reflections, and repeating objects, and attracted millions of visitors. Later, her polka dot and pumpkin works became popular.

Kusama won lots of prizes. and In 2022, and one of her famous paintings fetched about $10.5 at auction (which is a lot)

Yayoi Kusama held different exhibitions around the world. For example, Life is the Heart of a Rainbow was shown at National Gallery Singapore in 2017. and one Another exhibition was at the undefined in London, England. It was so popular that it was even extended three times. Her shapes and shiny steel orbs even turned into a backdrop for posts and selfies.

To Yayoi Kusama, vegetables make her feel comfortable. That is why she likes painting polka dots on pumpkins. She once said in a interview that she feels “Pumpkins speak to me, they embody a sense of stability and gives me peace of mind.”

Sadly, this Japanese polka dot artist died in a hospital in Tokyo, Japan on August 14, 2026 because of multiple organ failure, at age 97.